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Sleep: A Bedtime Ritual

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Written by Lisa Mc Sherry

Published: 19 December 2010

So many people have difficulty sleeping, sometimes tossing and turning for hours before falling asleep and sometimes waking up in the early morning hours and not being able to fall back to sleep. It is incredibly frustrating to lie awake for hours, counting sheep and instead seeing red. Sure, we can take sleeping pills, and every once in awhile that might be just the trick needed to break the sleepless cycle. But any more than that and we’re just training our minds to not sleep without the aid of pills. That’s not a great place to be in. There are a number of ways most of us have had to discover to aid us in getting to sleep, or to sleep better when we do fall asleep. It may be a series of relaxation exercises, a soothing sound maker, perhaps even a particular snack (warm milk, anyone?) For me, aromatherapy has proved to be the most effective, safe, and easy technique to get me to drift off.

Essence of Vali’s Sleep Blend is incredible. It has a fresh floral/citrus/woodsy scent that doesn’t linger on a single ingredient. I’m pretty tired of lavender, for example, and although this blend includes that plant, I can’t specifically smell it. The addition of cedar wood and marjoram is fascinating, providing an unusual series of notes. Ylang-ylang adds just the right touch of sensuous floral to the blend.

This blend is the most potent form of Essence of Vali’s line of sleep products. (The line includes balm, mist, massage and bath oil in various sizes and gift sets.) A drop on the pillowcase is all it takes to ease into a peaceful sleep. During stressful times, you can put a drop on a tissue or cotton ball and inhale the relaxing aroma. The whole family can enjoy a bedtime ritual every evening with this highly effective aromatherapy concentrate. According to the manufacturer, each 5 ml bottle provides approximately 100 nights of peaceful sleep.

From personal experience, a single drop is enough to fill a large room with the scent for the night. I’m pretty sensitive to smells, and I can’t have the handkerchief I use in the bed with me (nor would I use it on my pillowcase). Instead, I place it on my dresser across the room. After using it for a week straight, and the on and off again for almost six months I can say that the Blend works as promised.

I find that I fall asleep quickly, and easily. I am sleeping more deeply and if I wake up in the night I am able to fall back asleep rapidly. We have a dog that often wakes us up at 5am to go ‘out’. When I’m stressed, this is sufficient to wake up my brain and then I can’t fall back asleep. When I use the Sleep Blend, however, I just tell her to go lie down “It’s too early” then I roll over and go back to sleep. Just like that. (I have a suspicion that she sleeps better when the room is scented with the blend, but it’s harder to prove.

Essence of Vali has a great website and you can order directly from them or through (of all places) Amazon.com. If you are suffering from sleeping problems, try the Sleep Blend and see if it doesn’t get you back to a good night’s sleep.

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